YORKVILLE 9
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Firefighter · Ladder Company 13

Gregory M.
Stajk

Age 46 · Nearly 20 years of FDNY service

A firefighter known as “Bro,” a baseball standout, private pilot, collector and storyteller whose interests stretched far beyond the firehouse.

Ladder Company 13Engine 22 · Ladder 13 · Battalion 10159 East 85th Street

Many lives inside one

Gregory Stajk’s interests were unusually broad. He collected butterflies, earned a private pilot’s license, knew an extraordinary amount of trivia and was remembered for a John Wayne impression.

Baseball had been a major part of his life. He pitched a perfect game in 1973 at Kings Park High School, played at C.W. Post and was talented enough to draw attention from professional scouts.

Later, he played on an FDNY softball team that won a city championship in 1986.

At Ladder 13, he was known simply as “Bro.”

Nearly two decades

By September 11, Gregory was only months away from completing twenty years with the FDNY.

He served with Ladder Company 13 at the East 85th Street firehouse.

The response

Gregory responded with Ladder 13 to the North Tower and climbed toward the company’s assignment on the 44th floor.

The company reached approximately the 24th floor before the evacuation began. Ladder 13 descended through Stairway B while continuing search operations.

Gregory Stajk did not return home.

Follow the North Tower timeline

A life larger than the uniform

Gregory’s baseball history, pilot’s license, collections, humor and friendships remain part of the record of who he was.

Firefighting was his career and an enormous part of his identity. It was not the entirety of him—and this memorial should never reduce him to a single day.

Historical record

Sources for this memorial

Personal photographs and additional family recollections can be added as family materials and permissions are received.

National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

Gregory M. Stajk — Roll of Honor biography.

VOICES Center for Resilience

Family photographs, memorabilia and remembrance material.

FDNY company operations record

Ladder 13 North Tower assignment and evacuation account.

View full source recordReturn to the Yorkville 9
Firefighter Gregory M. Stajk

Forever part of Ladder 13.
Forever part of the Yorkville 9.

September 11, 2001 — September 11, 2026